Tales From Atlantis
by Sailor Donut
Summary: Various short stories from Milo and Kida's childhoods.
1. Prologue

This is just a disclaimer: All characters and other stuff related to Atlantis: The Lost Empire are property of Disney. Characters that weren't mentioned in the movie (with the exception of Lisa McGrath and Milo's parents, who were discussed in the _Journal of Milo Thatch_ and the DVD extras), I made up. ^_^

Oh, and a quick note: The stories that take place in Atlantis, unless otherwise specified, are meant to be seen as spoken in Atlantean, hence contractions and other such stuff.

**Prologue  
6586 B.C.~Nedakh Royal Complex, Atlantis **

King Kashekim Nedakh smiled at his lovely wife, Queen Maralana. Then he lovingly took his newborn baby daughter into his arms and stepped out onto the balcony looking out over the large complex in the center of Atlantis. Gathered below were hundreds of his subjects, eager to see the new arrival. Gently, the king raised the baby up for his subjects to see.

"Behold, citizens of Atlantis! This is your future queen, Princess Kidagakash Nedakh!" King Kashekim called out. The crowd below cheered. Above their heads, the Mother Crystal of Atlantis glowed even more brightly blue than usual.

"One day, my beloved, this huge empire will be yours to command," the king said softly to the baby princess.

"Not too soon, I hope," said Queen Maralana. She took a small necklace from a pouch. On the end of it was a blue crystal pendant, similar looking to the Mother Crystal. The queen slipped the necklace around her daughter's neck. She pressed the pendant against the baby princess' heart. At that moment, the crystal began to glow.

The princess' eyes opened and she looked at her parents. The king and queen smiled. The baby's eyes were the same serene blue as the pendant around her neck and the Mother Crystal hovering hundreds of feet above them.

The queen took the princess into her arms. "SOO-puhk, my beautiful baby Kida," she whispered.

**8468 years later...  
1882 A.D.~ Fishkill, NY, USA **

Augustus Thatch looked lovingly at his wife, Lucille. The fire crackled merrily in the fireplace, casting a peaceful glow on Lucille and her newborn son. Then there was a rapping at the door. Thaddeus Thatch stuck his head into the room.

"Can I come in yet?" the old man asked.

"Oh, sure Dad. Mother and child are both fine!" Augustus smiled.  
"Come look at your new grandson," Lucille said. "Milo James."

"Fine name," Thaddeus said. "Though I always liked 'Thaddeus' myself." Augustus and Lucille looked at each other and rolled their eyes. The old man gently took Milo into his arms.

"Hello there, Milo, my boy. Let me get a look at you." He turned to Milo's parents and grinned. "You're going to have to have a genius on your hands. I can tell by the shape of his head. OWW!" Thaddeus yelped as the baby pulled on his grandfather's handlebar mustache. "You've got a spunky side to you too, boy! I'll bet you're going to be a great explorer! Maybe you'll even help me discover the lost continent of Atlantis," he chuckled.

"Not too soon, Dad," Lucille warned.

"Naw. We'll wait until you're older. Seven or eight at least!" Thaddeus smiled.

"DAD!" Milo's parent's sputtered.

Lucille took the baby back into her arms and stroked his forehead. Milo stared back at her with wide brown eyes. Somehow, Mrs. Thatch knew that moment that there was a world waiting for her son, and, someday, he'd find it.


	2. Kida's Ketak Adventure

**Chapter One ~ Kida's Ketak Adventure   
5356 B.C.**   
  
The Atlantean royal family was sitting on their private balcony enjoying their lunch of fresh shemubin milk, fruit, and juicy squid-tentacles-on-a-stick. The Mother Crystal shimmered peacefully above.   
  
"YAHD-lu-goh-nihk! Maralana, if you eat one more of those you won't be able to get up to walk across the balcony!" King Kashekim shrieked as the queen bit off her fifth tentacle.   
  
"I can't help it, Kashekim! They're addicting!" Queen Maralana protested.   
  
Kida giggled. "You know they're MAH-tihm's favorite, TAHB-toap!"   
  
"Only too well," the king sighed, forcing back a grin.   
  
"As you were saying," the queen changed the subject, "The Egyptians have been..." Kida rolled her eyes and gazed over the side of the balcony at the bustling city below. Ever since Atlantis had started having problems with Greece and Egypt, it seemed like her parents had been paying less and less attention to her.   
  
Kida fingered her glowing crystal pendant and gazed up at the blue Mother Crystal that gave it power. 'One day I will be queen,' Kida thought. 'And when that time comes, I will never fight with the Greeks or the Egyptians, and I will never ignore my daughter.' But for the tme being, she decided she would go play with her best friend, Meeranakash. After all, there was nothing to do around here.   
  
"MAH-tihm, can I go play with Meera?" Kida asked.   
  
"Huh? Oh, sure, Kida Sweetie. Have fun. Right now TAHB-toap and I are busy," the queen said distractedly.   
  
"I know you're busy, MAH-tihm," Kida whispered. "You're always too busy for me."   


~*~ 

  
Meera and Kida were wandering the streets of Alantis looking for something to do. First, they stopped at the tattooing booth to watch the artist do his work.   
  
Kida lifted a hand to her left cheek and stroked her own tattoo. She could not remember when she was given her mark, but she still knew what it meant. It symbolized her courage, spirit, and ability to heal. It was her mark as the future queen of Atlantis.   
  
The hum of engines caught Kida's attention. She looed up. Over her head flew a fleet of Ketaks, Martags, and Aktiraks- huge stone fish, the transport and defense vehicles of Atlantis, powered by the Mother Crystal that gave the city its energy.   
  
A small Ketak landed several feet from where Kida and Meera were standing. The driver got up and walked briskly into a nearby shop. The engine on the Ketak was still running. Kida's blue eyes sparkled brightly . "Hey Meera," she said slyly. "Want to have an adventure?"   
  
Meera's eyes widened. "Kida, what are you thinking?" Kida grabbed Meera's arm and pulled her towards the glowing Ketak. "Oh, no, no Kida!" Meera squealed.   
  
"C'mon, Meera, this is going to be fun!" Kida hopped onto the Ketak. Meera reluctantly climbed up behind her.   
  
"Okay, let's see," Kida murmured, looking over the controls. She gently placed her hand on the control pad. The Ketak rose a few feet in the air.   
  
"All right!" Kida exclaimed.   
  
"Oh, dear," Meera said nervously.   
  
Kida pressed the control pad again and the Ketak took off into the skies. "Woo-hoo!" Kida called joyously. "Isn't this great, Meera?" Meera looked down at the city as they sped overhead. "Great isn't the word, Kida," she said. The Ketak tore through a cloud. Kida flipped her white hair through the mist. "So this is what the inside of a cloud looks like," she giggled.   
  
Meera chuckled nervously and looked down at the ground whizzzing by beneath them. "Not that this hasn't been fun and all, Kida, but can we go down now?"   
  
"Oh, all right, sissy," Kida said. "Now- how do we land this thing?"   
  
"You mean you don't know?!" Meera shrieked.   
  
"Don't panic, Meera. It can't be too hard. After all, I figured out how to start it!"   
  
"We're doomed!" Meera cried.   
  
Kida furrowed her eyebrows and looked over the controls. "Hmm..." she mumbled. "Let's try this one!" She pressed a corner or the control pad. Instead of slowing down, the vehicle sped up! Meera screamed. "I'm going to try something else!" Kida shouted. "Don't panic!"   
  
"Who's panicking?!" Meera shouted back. Kida pressed another corner of the control pad. This time, a bright blue laser shot out of the Ketak's mouth and blasted the spire of the top of a tall building.   
  
"Oops," Kida muttered.   
  
"That wasn't supposed to happen!" Meera wailed. Then her eyes widened in fear. "Kida! Look ahead!!!" The vehicle was heading for a huge tower.   
  
"Lean to the right! Lean to the right!" Kida screamed. The Ketak narrowly missed smashing into the tower. But matters were about to get worse. The out of control Ketak was heading into the Nedakh Royal Complex.   


~*~

  
Meanwhile, the king and queen were still sitting on their balcony discussing the Egyptians.   
  
"Kashekim, I just don't know," Queen Maralana said. "Atlantis has a history of peace with the other nations. Maybe we shouldn't-"   
  
Just then, an out of control Ketak with two screaming little girls on the back sped past the balcony. "Kashekim, look!" the queen gasped.   
  
"Kida!" the king yelled.   
  
"YAHD-lu-goh-nihk!" exclaimed the queen. "She could get killed!" Her eyes darted across the balcony and fell upon a parked Aktirak. Quickly, the queen ran toward it, placed her crystal in the slot, put her hand on the control pad, and turned the crystal a quarter turn back. The Aktirak rose above the ground.   
  
"Maralana, what are you doing?" the king shouted.   
  
"Saving our daughter!" the queen replied, and the Aktirak sped away.   


~*~ 

  
"We're too young to die!" Meera wailed.   
  
"I can't stop it! I can't even control it!" Kida cried, her voice filled with fear.   
  
"Spirits of Atlantis, protect us from harm!" Meera beseeched.   
  
"HELP!!!" Kida screamed.   
  
"Kida! Meera!" Just then, the queen pulled up beside them. "Jump!"   
  
"You first," Kida told Meera. The little girl leaped into the queen's outstretched arms.   
  
"Kida! Take my hand!" Queen Maralana shouted.   
  
Kida jumped from the speeding Ketak into her mother's Aktirak. Without a driver, the Ketak spun out of control and slammed into a nearby wall, exploding in blue and orange fury.   
  
"Kida, what were you thinking?!" Queen Maralana scolded when they were on the ground. "You and Meera could have both been killed!"   
  
Kida burst into tears. ""I'm so sorry, MAH-tihm," she sobbed. "I just wanted to have an adventure. You and TAHB-toap have been ignoring me so much, and I-"   
  
"What?" the queen interrupted. "Kida, Sweetie, what makes you think we've been ignoring you?   
  
"All you ever think about recently is Greece and Egypt!" Kida cried.   
  
"Oh, Kida." The queen took Kida into her arms. "It's our responsibility as the rulers of Atlantis to take care of our subjects." She looked into her daughter's tear-filled eyes. "But first and foremost, our responsibility is to take care of you. That's a duty we seem to have neglected." She gave Kida a big hug. "Oh, Sweetie, I'm so sorry. I love you more than anything else on this earth. Never forget that."   
  
Kida smiled. "I love you too, MAH-tihm."   
  
"And I promise never to ignore you again if you promise to never pull a crazy stunt like this again," the queen continued.   
  
"I promise," Kida said. And she meant it.   
  
"Good. Now let's go home." With that, the queen picked Kida up and carried her back to the palace. 


	3. The Lost Empire

**Chapter Two~ The Lost Empire   
1887 AD**   
  
"Oh, wow, Grandpa! Look at the size of this tree!" 5-year-old Milo Thatch exclaimed. "It's HUGE! It must be a million billion feet tall!"   
  
"Something close to that," Thaddeus chuckled. He couldn't blame Milo for being excited. It was his first camping trip.   
  
"Oh my goodness! Look at this rock!" Milo gasped, holding up a smooth round rock.   
  
"It's getting kind of late, Milo," Thaddeus cut in. "We should start thinking about turning in."   
  
"Oh, okay Grandpa," Milo said, disappointed. "We can explore more tomorrow."   


~*~

  
  
By the time Milo had changed into his pajamas, it was dark. He crawled into Grandpa Thatch's lap by the campfire. "Grandpa, could you tell me a story?" he asked.   
  
"Sure. How about the legend of Sasquatch?" Thaddeus suggested.   
  
"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of the legend of Atlantis," Milo said.   
  
"Atlantis? But you've heard it a hundred times!" Thaddeus protested.   
  
"You know it's my favorite!" Milo giggled.   
  
"Oh, all right. Now, Atlantis was a city," the old man began.   
  
"And it was on an island in the Atlantic Ocean," Milo added.   
  
"Right! Smart boy," Thaddeus said proudly. "And it was very pretty there, with birds, and trees, and waterfalls..."   
  
"Plato described it, huh, Grandpa?" Milo interrupted.   
  
"Right again!" declared Thaddeus. "I always knew you were a genius." He smiled at Milo. "And the Atlanteans had a special abilities. They could heal bad sicknesses and wounds."   
  
"And they had magical flying machines!" Milo exclaimed.   
  
"Well, I don't know if they were magic," Thaddeus said. "The legend says that the Atlanteans had a special power source that allowed them to do these things."   
  
"Oh. Wow...." Milo whispered. "What happened to it?"   
  
"Well, I suppose it was lost when Atlantis sank," Thaddeus said thoughtfully.   
  
"I know that part!" Milo exclaimed. "A big tidal wave came and smashed the city and sank it!" Thaddeus nodded. "Why did the tidal wave come?" Milo asked.   
  
"Well, I know at the time of its destruction, Atlantis was at war with Greece and Egypt, but I doubt that had anything to do with it. Nature's just unpredictable, I guess."   
  
"Yeah," Milo yawned. "You and me are gonna find Atlantis, right, Grandpa?" he said sleepily.   
  
"You and I, son," Grandpa Thatch corrected.   


~*~

  
Milo awoke abruptly and looked around the tent. He had been having a strange dream... _He was standing in the middle of an ancient city. People were running and shouting. Standing a few feet away was a little girl and a man. The girl called out in a language that Milo couldn't understand. Suddenly, the ground started shaking, and a huge wall of water slammed into the city._ Then Milo woke up.   
  
Milo groggily rubbed his eyes. "What a dream," he muttered. Could it have been the sinking of Atlantis?   
  
Just then, Milo heard a noise. It sounded like a baby crying almost. Milo glanced around the tent fearfully. "Grandpa?" he said softly.   
  
"Hmm? Um- what?" Thaddeus mumbled.   
  
"I heard a noise." The cry sounded throughout the woods again. Thaddeus sat up, instantly alert.   
  
"Is it a bear?" Milo asked.   
  
""No,,," Thaddeus whispered. "Sounds more like a cat of some sort."   
  
"You mean like a tiger?" Milo's voice shook nervously.   
  
"No, I mean like a mountain lion." Grandpa Thatch picked up his rifle and headed out inot the woods. "I'm going to investigate."   
  
"Be careful, Grandpa!" Milo called.   
  
A few minutes later, Milo heard his grandfather's voice. "Hey, Milo, come out here and look at this!" Milo walked out of the tent in the direction of Grandpa Thatch's voice. He soon saw his grandpa kneeling near a hollow log. "Look inside, " Thaddeus said. Milo did so. In the log was a mama cat and her baby kittens, purring happily.   
  
"Oh, Grandpa," Milo said, taking a kitten into his arms. "Can we keep them?"   
  
"Why not?" Thaddeus said. "Every boy your age ought to have a pet or two... or six, as the case may be!" 


	4. Destruction

**Chapter Three ~ Destruction   
5000 B.C.**   
  
_Boom! Boom! Boom! Ka-BOOOOM!!!_   
  
Queen Maralana sat upright in bed. Her eyes filled with terror. "I knew it," she whispered.   
  
"YAHD-lug!" King Kashekim exclaimed. "What was that?" He and the queen rushed down the palace steps and out into the street. People were looking about themselves confusedly. "Something bad has happened, Kashekim," Maralana said. "I can sense it... the attack... something went wrong!"   
  
"Don't be silly," Kashekim said nervously. "What could have possibly happened?" Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and bright red light filled the sky. The Crystal was warning the city of danger. Something had gone wrong, all right. The king had dispatched the Atlantean armada to attack Egypt the night before. Harnessing the Crystal's power could easily have allowed Atlantis to conquer Egypt. But the Living Crystal had other ideas...   
  
"Tidal wave approaching!" a lookout called. "Quick, everyone to the shelters!"   


~*~

Kida awoke abruptly. She could hear commotion in the streets. She sleepily walked to the window and peered out. People were running and shouting. She saw her parents amidst them. They appeared to be arguing. She clutched her doll in her hand and, yawning, hurried out onto the street.   
  
"MAH-tihm, what's going on?" Kida asked. The queen took Kida's hand and pulled her close, but did not reply.   
  
"This way, Your Highness. Quickly!" a servant called. Kashekim and Maralana hurriedly followed him, the queen pulling Kida along. In the commotion, Kida dropped the doll she had been carrying. She reached out to grab it, but her mother pulled her away. Kida frantically struggled, but the queen's grip was too strong.   
  
_What is going on?_ Kida thought. _Why can't I have my doll? Why is everyone so scared?_   
  
By the time Maralana realized why her daughter was fighting her, they were too far away to go back, get the doll, and make it to safety before the tidal wave struck. "Just leave it, Kida! There's no time!" Kida knew by the urgency in her mother's voice that she was right. But what were they running from?   
  
Suddenly, a red beam of light fell from the sky, freezing Maralana in her tracks. When the beam touched the queen, it turned blue. Maralana's eyes filled with the bright blue light, glazing over. Voices began calling to her inside her head...   
  
_Maralana, we need you!   
  
Why?   
  
Only you can save the city from destruction..._ A force began pulling her into the light.   
  
_But my daughter...   
  
Kida will be well. This we promise. Maralana, we need you! The city needs you! You must come now!_   
  
The queen squeezed Kida's hand one last time. _Kida, my baby, my precious angel... I will love you for eternity, my darling... you will never know... you will never understand... how much..._ The queen began to rise into the air, but Kida held her back. She desperately clasped her mother's hand, but the Crystal's pull was too strong. Still, Kida would not let go.   
  
_Kida, let go!_ MAH-tihm's voice ordered inside Kida's head. Startled, Kida complied. Her hand slipped out of Maralana's. As she released her grip, the queen pulled a bracelet from Kida's wrist.   
  
"MAH-tihm!" Kida cried as her mother floated higher and higher into the air. _Where is she going? Come back! Come back!_ "MAH-tihm!" Tears began to drip from the frightened girl's eyes. She blinked them away and stumbled forward, arms outstretched. "MAH-tihm!!!" Kida felt her father grab her and hold her tightly.   
  
"Close your eyes, Kida!" he commanded. Kida willingly complied. _That's it. Close your eyes. This is not real. It's all a dream. You'll wake up and discover that MAH-tihm is safe at home..._   
  
Kashekim watched in horror as Maralana disappeared into the shimmering Crystal. Beams of light shot out, and the city became surrounded by a dome of pure energy. CRASH!!! The tidal wave slammed into the city. But the city was not destroyed! The energy dome protected the city from the wall of water. The island sank deeper and deeper beneath the waves, then came to rest in an air pocket near the bottom of the sea. And that's where it would stay for all eternity...   
  
The dome faded. All was safe and well. But Atlantis was now a lost empire, hidden hundreds of feet beneath the earth's surface!   
  
_This is all my fault,_ King Kashekim thought. _Maralana tried to warn me not to use the Crystal as a weapon of war. But I was too stubborn, too arrogant- and this is the price. He looked down into his tiny daughter's eyes. If only Kida knew what evil her father had done that day... now she must grow up without a mother... And it is all my fault._ The king began to weep.   
  
When she saw the tears on TAHB-toap's cheeks, Kida knew MAH-tihm was not coming back. She slowly walked to where her doll lay on the ground. _I wanted this so badly,_ Kida thought. _But I'd rather have MAH-tihm back._ She held the tiny doll tightly in her arms and began to cry. She looked at her wrist. There was an imprint where the bracelet had been.   
  
The bracelet... it was MAH-tihm's. She had let Kida play with it the night before. Kida had pretended that she was the Queen of all Atlantis. She didn't feel much like a queen now.   


~*~

  
  
King Kashekim looked at the Crystal hovering in the air. He knew what he would have to do. He would hide it. No one would be able to make his mistake again. No one would ever lose a loved one as he had lost his beloved wife. And Kida would be safe, forever spared from her mother's fate. He would remove all traces from their former life, the books, the scrolls, everything. People would soon forget- but he would not.   
  
The king gazed at his little girl. Kida was all he had left in the world...   


~*~

  
"MAH-tihm," Kida sobbed. "You said you would never leave me!"   
  
_"And I won't leave you, Kida."_ Kida looked around. Where was the voice coming from? MAH-tihm was nowhere in sight, but Kida could feel her presence all about her.   
  
"MAH-tihm, where are you?" Kida asked.   
  
_"I'm here with you,"_ the queen's voice replied. The voice was inside Kida! _"I'll always be here if you need me. I will never leave you, ever." Kida's mouth opened bewilderedly. "Now, listen to me sweetie," the queen continued. "Your TAHB-toap needs you. You have to be there for him. Never give up, do you understand?" Kida nodded. "Good. Be brave, my precious... Be strong..."_   
  
"I promise," Kida said. She felt her mother kiss her forehead, but she could not see her. The Crystal pendant around her neck glowed brightly, warming her. MAH-tihm was in her heart, where she would always stay.   
  
Kida smiled. _MAH-tihm isn't really gone! She's here with me! I just can't see her, but she's here anyway!_ At that moment, to Kida, that was the best feeling in the world. 


	5. Not Alone

**Chapter Four~ Not Alone   
1892 A.D.**   
  
"Have a good day, son," Thaddeus Thatch said, slapping Milo's cap onto the boy's head, handing him a sacked lunch and ushering him out the door.   
  
"Yeah, sure," Milo replied. Grandpa said that every day before Milo went to school, but it never happened. Milo knew that he never would fit in with his classmates. He was smarter than all of them put together when it cam to books, but he was far too innocent and inexperienced in others to be considered anything more than a dork by the boys in his class. The girls weren't much nicer, either. A good day to Milo was a day that everyone ignored him and left him alone to his fantasies, his dreams of ancient times, when things were far more mystic and much better for a idealist like himself.   
  
Unfortunately, Milo was rarely left in peace at Henderson Elementary School. He usually was too busy defending his life from the likes of Barnabas Jones, the school bully, to fantasize about far off lands like Atlantis.   
  
"Hey, Thatch-head, what's for lunch?" a cruel voice lisped. Milo cringed. It looked like today was going to be no different. He turned to face the round-cheeked, freckle-faced giant that towered over him.   
  
"P-p-peanut butter and banana sandwich, Barnabas," Milo stammered almost inaudibly. "And an apple for a snack."   
  
Barnabas snatched the snack from Milo's small, shaking hand. "Peanut butter and banana, huh? Ya know, Thatch, sweets ain't good for you. I'd better confiscate this. You might get poisoned or somethin'."   
  
"But, Barnabas! My Grandpa made that lunch for me!" Milo protested weakly.   
  
"Yer Grandpa, huh? You a Grandpa's boy? Heh-heh-heh!" Barnabas teased. "Then why don't you go run home a-cryin' to yer Grandpa and have him make you a new one, cuz this one's mine!" Cackling, the little urchin stomped away, leaving a cowering Milo in his wake. Before he left, he spit at the smaller boy through the gap between his teeth.   
  
"Oh, great. Yet another miserable day in my even more miserable life!" Milo cried.   
  
"You know, you really shouldn't let him pick on you like that. That pug-nosed creep is no better than you are," an unfamiliar voice said from behind Milo. Milo turned and saw another little boy about his own age approaching.   
  
"Who are you?" Milo asked uncertainly.   
  
"My name's Billy," the boy said. "My family just moved here from Topeka. That's in Kansas."   
  
"Oh. Hello. My name's Milo," Milo said, still shaken up.   
  
"Do you go to Henderson Elementary?" Billy asked.   
  
"Yes, actually, I do," Milo replied.   
  
"Great! Today is going to be my first day there! I'm in the fifth grade," Billy said proudly. "Will you show me around the school, Milo?"   
  
"Uh, sure!" Milo said excitedly. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all!   


~*~

"Class, this is Billy McCormick," Miss Gunderson, the fifth grade teacher, announced. "He and his family just moved here from Kansas. I trust that you will all ne friendly and helpful to him whilst he gets his bearings," she continued, shooting a glare at Barnabas Jones. Barnabas returned the glare with a "butter wouldn't melt in my mouth" smile.   
  
Billy nervously took the seat in the double desk adjoining Milo. Across the aisle, unfortunately, was where Barnabas had decided to sit, if only to torment the innocent boys. Today he started in earlier than usual, Milo noted. "Kansas, huh?" Barnabas sneered. "Didja live on a farm?"   
  
Billy's face brightened. "Why, yes, I did live on a farm!"   
  
Barnabas cackled. "Farm boy, huh? So why did ya come to New York, farm boy? Did your hogs leave town? Heh-heh-heh!"   
  
Milo lowered his head. Billy stared at Barnabas in surprise. Farm boy? That was the first time someone had called Billy that and intended it as an insult.   
  
Soon the whole class was snickering under their breaths. The nerd and the farm boy- what a perfect pair of losers! Milo felt awful. His presence was detrimental to Billy's reputation as well as his own! What a way for Billy to start his first day at a new school.   
  
Billy just frowned. This was different than what he had experienced in Kansas. He would have to be quick on his feet in this new place- and his friend Milo had better learn to do the same, or get crushed on the way.   


~*~

That afternoon, Billy went over to Milo's house to play. Grandpa Thatch opened the door at the sound of the knock.   
  
"Well, hello there, son! You must be Milo's little friend Billy. Come right on in." Billy stepped somewhat nervously into the entryway as Thaddeus continued. "I'm Milo's grandfather. Feel free just to call me 'Grandpa Thatch.' Milo's in the parlor."   
  
Milo raced in before Thaddeus finished his sentence. "Hiya, Billy! What do you want to play first?"   
  
"Well, Milo, is it okay if we go to the field around the block? There's a neat game that we like to play out west that I'd love to teach you," Billy suggested.   
  
"Grandpa? Can I go? Can I? Huh? Huh?" Milo exclaimed.   
  
"All right, all right, hold your horses there, son! Of course you can go if you're back before dark," Thaddeus chuckled.   
  
"Yeah! Thanks, Grandpa!" Milo shouted as he and Billy raced out the door. Once outside, Billy handed Milo a curious elongated piece of wood, slightly wider on one end than the other. "What's this?" Milo asked.   
  
"Oh, that's the bat," Billy explained.   
  
"Bat?"   
  
"I'll explain it more when we get to the field," Billy said, slipping his left hand into a strange leather glove and picking up a heavy white ball with his other hand. With that, they started their trek to the field. Milo asked a few random questions such as how did Billy like Fishkill and Henderson Elementary, but for the most part it was pretty quiet on the way over.   
  
Thoughtfully, Billy asked, "How come you're staying with your grampa, Milo? Are your ma and pa out of town?"   
  
"No, I live with my grandpa! My parents died a long time ago," Milo answered.   
  
"They're dead? That's awful! I don't know what I'd do without Ma and Pa!" Billy gasped.   
  
"Oh, it's not all that bad," Milo said. "Though I do miss them a lot. I barely remember them. They died in a train wreck when I was a toddler. But Grandpa's like a father to me!"   
  
"Oh," Billy said distantly. Then he grinned. "Well, Milo, we're here! Are you ready to learn how to play baseball?"   
  
"Baseball?" Milo asked confusedly.   
  
"Yeah, baseball! The all-American sport!"   
  
As Milo observed, Billy taught him the ins and outs of the newfangled sport. Then the two boys played heartily until well after dusk.   


~*~

The next day, Milo headed off to school with a new self confidence that he had never thought he could possess. He was no longer a loner; now he could spend recess and lunch playing baseball with his new friend Billy instead of having to sit alone and defending himself from the bullies.   
  
When he got to school, he noticed that all his classmates were crowded in a corner of the playground. He wandered over to see what the commotion was about. Much to Milo's surprise, Billy was standing glumly in the center of the crowded circle, Barnabas standing nearest to him.   
  
"Hey, Billy! What's- what's going on?" Milo asked. Billy was looking suspiciously at his feet.   
  
"Well, if it isn't little Mr. Orphan! Living with his Grandpa! Doesn't have any parents like WE do! Stuck living with old grandpappy!" Barnabas sneered.   
  
The crowd of children laughed and Billy slunk sadly away. For the rest of the day, everyone avoided Milo like he had a disease, as if having no parents was catching. And Billy just watched silently as Milo was tormented. It was the worst day of Milo's life. He counted the seconds until the final bell rang and he trudged slowly home.   
  
"Hi, son," Grandpa Thatch said affectionately as Milo came in the door. But the little boy just walked droopily past him, up the stairs, and into his bedroom, where he softly began to cry. Thaddeus stuck his head into his grandson's room, eyes filled with concern. "Milo? What's wrong?" he asked.   
  
"Oh, Grandpa, it isn't fair. Why did Mama and Dad have to die?" he sobbed.   
  
Thaddeus frowned deeply. "Milo, I know it isn't fair. Your parents did not deserve to die. They were in the prime of life." He paused pensively. "I know you miss them every day of your life. I most certainly do!" He gazed at the little boy and had a nagging feeling in his stomach. There's more here than meets the eye. "What brought this on, Milo?"   
  
"Oh, Grandpa! All the kids at school are making fun of me because I have no parents! I wish I had an mother and father like everybody else!" Milo wailed.   
  
Grandpa Thatch frowned grimly. "Now Milo, listen to me. I understand how you feel completely. But there are some things we can't change. Now, I have tried my absolute best to raise you properly, and I see you not as some foster child, but as my own son. I had always hoped that you saw me the same way. I know I can't replace your parents, and I would never try. But Milo, I'm all you've got."   
  
Milo sniffled. "I know, Grandpa. And I love you."   


~*~

The next day when Milo got to school, he felt a little better, but not much. His one and only "friend" had betrayed him. He was at the mercy of the cruel children again.   
  
"Well, if it isn't the orphan again. No friends. No family. Just old gramps," Barnabas teased. It stung Milo like a smack across the face.   
  
"Oh, shut up, Barney!" a voice shouted. Milo gasped. It was Billy!   
  
"What did you call me, farm boy?" Barnabas snarled.   
  
"We're getting sick of putting up with your nonsense, pig-face!" Billy snapped. "Don't make fun of Milo anymore! It isn't his fault that his parents are gone, and he deserves to have friends, not to be made even more alone.   
  
"Hey, Milo, let's play some baseball in the field after school," Billy finished, sticking his hand out in friendship. "You're not alone, and you never will be again."   


~*~


	6. Discovering the Past

**Chapter Five~ Discovering the Past   
2986 B.C.**   
  
"But TAHB-toap," Princess Kida begged. "It's only fair that the future queen of Atlantis should learn the past of her kingdom. I know there's more to this than meets the eye. What are you hiding from me?"   
  
"Kida," King Kashekim warned. "When you come to the throne, you will understand. But you are still young, far too young to comprehend the things that are happening in this world. Just trust in me when I say that all things happen for a reason."   
  
"TAHB-toap, that isn't enough!" Kida exclaimed angrily. "What happened to MAH-tihm? What was the star I saw in the sky, and where did it go? Why have we been banished down here? Why are you letting your people forget? Some great ruler you are! You are letting your people wear away! We need answers!"   
  
The King cringed. This was the most violent argument he had ever had with his young daughter. Her curiosity was beginning to become too strong. She needed answers. He knew what it felt like to be young and be denied the answers to the most important questions. _Perhaps... No, she is still far too young! She cannot know; not yet._ She would simply have to be satisfied with the answers she had been getting her whole life, it was the only way to protect her.   
  
"The gods grew jealous of Atlantis and her might. They banished us down here so that we would not overshadow their divinity," the King replied blandly.   
  
"TAHB-toap, that story makes no sense! If the gods were jealous, why not destroy us completely? How did we wind up down here?" Kida shook her head in disbelief. "And why are you having us live in denial of our mighty past? No, TAHB-toap, you are hiding something from me. How am I supposed to respect and honor a king who lies to his subjects and to his own daughter?" With that, Princess Kidagakash stormed out of her father's throne room. Sadly, the King watched her. _She has a strong will,_ he thought. _I cannot hide the past from her much longer._   


~*~

_I need answers,_ Kida thought to herself. But how would she get them? The adults who remembered the MEH-behl-moak were so tight-lipped about it, and everything was such a blur to her. _Oh, if only I could remember what happened that day!_ She thought angrily. But she could only grasp bits and pieces, and as the centuries progressed, new memories replaced the old, and the thoughts became jumbled in her mind.   
  
As she walked through the overgrown, disintegrating streets, she fingered her crystal pendant, trying to grasp something that would help her untangle the mystery. "Oh, MAH-tihm," she whispered. "I wish you could help me with this."   
  
She lightly stepped over a hunk of twisted metal and stone, then thoughtfully glanced at the destroyed mechanism. A glimmer of a memory flitted through her mind, and then it was gone before she could grasp it. She knelt beside the machine and gently ran her fingers across the control panel. If she could only remember...   
  
"Hey, Kida!" a voice shouted. She looked up and saw her two best friends, Nakia and Meeranakash, heading her way. Nakia's parents were servants at the palace, so she had grown up alongside the princess and Meera.   
  
"SOO-puhk," Kida said, grinning. "Hey, Meera, look at this."   
  
Meera knelt beside Kida, staring at the mangled machine pensively. "It's a vehicle," she said absently. "A-a... Ketak?"   
  
"Yes," Nakia agreed. "It's been a long time since I've seen one of them fly."   
  
"They did fly!" Kida exclaimed. "Meera, do you remember? That time that you and I got loose in one?"   
  
Meera started, and stared at Kida in shock. "Yes, I do! We got out of control and your MAH-tihm rescued us by the skin of our teeth. Oh, that was so long ago! I had forgotten it," she whispered. "But we did fly in one."   
  
"I knew it! Come on, let's try to start one up!" Kida exclaimed. She grabbed Meera by the wrist, who grabbed Nakia in turn, and dragged her down a nearly invisible path that led into the jungle.   
  
"Where are we going?" Nakia gasped, out of breath.   
  
"My special place," Kida replied excitedly. She led them deep into the forest, then took a surprising turn, edging through a cavern behind a waterfall, then slid down a hill into a grotto of some sort. "Here," she cried, gesturing to a Ketak that sat intact, though somewhat grown over by weeds and vines.   
  
"Now, Meera, how did we do it again?" Kida asked breathlessly.   
  
"Um, the crystal goes in that slot," Meera gestured.   
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Nakia nervously asked. "I mean, what if the King should find out?"   
  
"Who cares?" Kida retorted. "He's hiding something from me, and I'm going to find out. He's letting us forget our former grandeur, but I'm not going without a fight!" She yanked her necklace off and jammed it into the slot defiantly. Nothing happened.   
  
"Try twisting it," Nakia suggested. Kida complied, turning the crystal in the slot. Still nothing happened.   
  
"Oh! I remember!" Meera proclaimed. "You have to put your hand on the inscription pad!" Kida did so. Still, nothing happened. The girls fiddled with it for nearly an hour, but still the Ketak did not respond.   
  
"Argh!" Kida shouted in aggravation. "We shall never figure this stupid thing out!"   
  
Nakia stared at it some more, chewing on her lip. She fingered some carved writing around the inscription pad. "This is probably the instructions," she said.   
  
"If only I could read it!" Kida moaned. She flung herself on the ground in despair. "Curse my father, anyway! Why is he so obstinate?"   
  
Nakia and Meera looked at each other sadly. "We'd better go," Meera said. "It's getting near evening-darkness, and our parents will be expecting us soon." Kida waved them away, and proceeded to pout angrily. _Why is he so unreasonable?_   
  
The evening-darkness was approaching rapidly, yet the atmosphere was still warm with summertime. _How is it that it still gets light and dark down here as it did on the surface?_ Kida wondered to herself. _The seasons change as well. The only thing missing is the sun, the moon, and the stars._ She sighed. The stars were still a vivid memory to Kida. She remembered the bright star that used to shine over Atlantis. What was it anyway? She used to know. It had always been there, but then when the city sank, it went away like the sun and the moon. _What is keeping us alive down here, anyway? Why didn't the MEH-behl-moak destroy us?_ Perhaps her TAHB-toap wasn't lying, and the gods merely had banished the Atlanteans to the depths of the sea. But a nagging feeling told Kida otherwise...   
  
"It is rather warm," Kida said to no one in particular. Warmer than usual. She glanced at the sky. It was getting dark quickly, but she did not want to return to the palace. Not yet. She decided to wander to a pool that was nearby and dip her feet in. Maybe she could clear her head.   


~*~

  
  
Kida wrapped her way around the cascading waterfalls and through the foliage to the water's edge. A pillar with writing all the way around it lay ruined in the middle of the path, covered with overgrowth, where it had probably lain since it fell during the MEH-behl-moak. Kida ran her fingers over the letters, which were nothing but meaningless scribbles to her. It infuriated her that her own written language was forbidden to her, yet it existed, incomprehensible as it may be, all over the city, as if taunting the Atlantean people.   
  
Disgusted, the girl walked past it to where some crumbling steps led into the water. _I wonder where these stairs led in ancient times... or not so ancient times, since they were probably still in tact during my infancy._ She furrowed her brow and seated herself on a step, dangling her legs into the cool water and letting her daydreams absorb her. _Maybe to a temple, or perhaps to a great library, or a city hall... oh, why can't I remember???_   
  
Kida sat there pensively for an indefinite amount of time, until she absent-mindedly took of her crystal and began playfully swirling it through the water. It had a most startling effect. As its ripples began to span the distance of the pool, the crystal began glowing brightly, more brightly than Kida had ever seen it shine before. "YAHD-loog!" she gasped, yanking the pendant out of the water and replacing it around her neck, hoping to soothe it. Instead, the crystal began pulling her towards something in the water. She fearfully began running back up the steps, trying to escape this place, hoping that her crystal would calm down, not knowing what to think.   
  
Suddenly a calm voice in the corner of her mind reached out to her. Kida could barely hear it, and couldn't make out what it was saying, but still the voice seemed oddly familiar, though it had been a long, long time since she had heard it last...   
  
"MAH-tihm?" Kida whispered.   
  
"Kida," her mother's voice replied soothingly. Kida turned back and stared at the lagoon again. The crystal started glowing and pulling her again, almost urgently. "Help us," Maralana's voice continued. "So we may not be forgotten."   
  
"We'll never forget you, MAH-tihm," Kida gasped. A determined look washed over her young face. She set her jaw and defiantly undid her purple sarong. Draping it carefully on the grass, Kida, now wearing only her pink crop top and undershorts, walked to the water's edge. She waded in knee deep. Her crystal brightened with each step. _There's something down there,_ the princess thought. _And someone wants me to find out what._   
  
She took a deep breath and dove in the water. The crystal lit up before her like a spotlight, revealing what was evidently an underwater tunnel, leading into darkness. The crystal pulled her towards the tunnel. Her eyes widened, and she resurfaced. Better get as much air as possible; who knows how long that tunnel could be?   
  
Kida swam deeper and deeper into the darkness, the jeweled pendant lighting her way. She gazed in amazement as she swam past magnificent ruins covered with jeweled mosaics, and murals that were still as bright as they were the day they were painted despite the years of underwater decay. She swam onward, the crystal still seeming to be leading her somewhere. Kida started getting nervous. She should have run out of breath a long time ago, yet her lungs still felt full. What was going on?   
  
She noticed an air pocket several yards up, and swam up to regain some air. She wasn't going to take any chances. As she dove back down, the crystal appeared to locate its destination. It pulled her through a ruined doorway and towards a mountainous wall, which was covered with murals, and writing surrounding the pictures on all sides. She gasped, choking on a mouthful of water. This place! It appeared to be a temple of some sort. She swam to the far wall and gently touched the murals. This must be what she was searching for! The history of Atlantis. If she could decode these pictures, she could learn what had really happened in the MEH-behl-moak, and the truth about the glowing star- and her MAH-tihm's disappearance.   
  
Kida gazed at the murals sadly. They were surrounded with writing. The writing held the key to what the pictures meant. Once again, it would seem that her dream was being hindered by her illiteracy.   
  
The princess stayed under much longer, the crystal sustaining her breath for much longer than usual. Though nothing became clearer, she left that place more determined than ever. She had to find someone who could read, or she'd find some way to do it herself. Kida knew that she had come one step closer to discovering the past.   
  
She swam back to the surface excitedly. She knew TAHB-toap would be furious that she had come home so late after dark. He would want to know where she had been, but of course he would never find out.   
  
_Don't worry, MAH-tihm, she thought. Your memory will be kept alive, and someday, somehow, I will unlock all the mysteries of Atlantis' past..._   


~*~ 


	7. Nothing But a Crush

**Chapter Six~ Nothing But a Crush  
1905 A.D.**

Milo sighed, closing the cover of his old photo album and gently placing it back on the shelf. How the years had flown by! It seemed like only yesterday that he and Billy had been playing baseball in the field around the corner from Grandpa's house... now here he was, a twenty-three- year- old graduate student at the prestigious Oxford University in Oxford, England, just about ready to present his doctoral dissertation— and still, the only person who would even talk to him was good old Billy. Unfortunately for Milo, Billy was going to college back in the United States, and Milo was stuck here alone with only letters and an occasional phone call from Billy for comfort.

Milo re-read this most recent letter from Billy. It bore good news, but made Milo more homesick than ever. Billy had written:

_Dear Milo:  
_

_How are things going at the old University? I hope you are well and that you aren't as bored as you were the last time I talked to you. As for me, I have great news to tell you, pal of mine! Samantha and I are engaged! Can you believe it? I am so excited. And guess who I want to be the Best Man? You, of course! The wedding isn't going to be for a few months, July 18. I was hoping that you would manage to catch a boat back here to the states. The wedding is going to be in Fishkill. It would be wonderful if you could make it, maybe you could stay with your grandfather for the summer and then we can see each other more often. Samantha is so excited to see you again. She thinks you are just the greatest person ever. Maybe we could have one last ball game at the old field, for old times sake?  
_

_Oh, Milo, I wish that you would stop being so self-conscious and would go out and find yourself a wonderful woman like Samantha. A nice, smart person like yourself would have no problem getting a girl to like him if you would only be a little more outgoing! There's a wonderful woman waiting for you out there; all you have to do is find her! Besides, if Samantha and I start having little ones of our own, they're going to need godparents... _

_All right, all right, I'll get off your back. I just want you to be as happy as I am. I'm really looking forward to seeing you this summer. I hope that we will be together again soon! Until then._

_Your Best Friend Eternally,_  
_Billy McCormick_

Milo smiled wistfully and returned the letter to its envelope and shoved it in the drawer of his night table, where all the other letters from Billy were stored. He was happy for Billy and Samantha, he really was. They had been dating almost five years now. Frankly, Milo thought it was about time that Billy had proposed. He knew that they would be happy together. But as thrilled as he was for his best friend, Milo still felt a little bit... jealous. He knew that girls would never have any interest in him. Billy was just saying that to make him feel better. Milo had come to accept that he would always be alone a long time ago. All he ever had in the world was Grandpa, Billy, and the kitties- and they were all he needed... right?

The next morning however, Milo felt just as depressed as he had the day before. _Oh, well_, he said to himself. _You only have one more month of school left, and then you can go home for the summer. You'll see Grandpa again, and Billy and Samantha. It's gonna be great! _So why did he feel so low?

Milo wandered dejectedly into his Advanced French class. It was one of the many foreign language classes that he was taking at Oxford in the hopes of fulfilling his goal of being a world-renowned linguist. His only comfort in his lonely world was that someday he and his grandfather would accomplish their dream of being the men who discovered the Shepherd's Journal and the lost empire of Atlantis.

Milo was so proud of his Grandpa. Only recently, Thaddeus Thatch had made headlines worldwide, including making the front page of the newspaper where Milo was living in Oxford, by finding more startling evidence unlocking the secret of the Shepherd's Journal's hidden location. The day that paper had circulated had been Milo's one day in the limelight. The next day, he was alone and forgotten once again.

He silently took his seat and pulled out his pencil and a notebook. _Time now to escape real life's problems and enter the world of learning,_Milo thought.

"Excuse me."A feminine voice interrupted his thoughts. "Aren't you Milo Thatch?" Milo looked up and saw an attractive, stately woman, with long, wavy blonde hair, a pale complexion, and wide blue eyes. It was Lisa McGrath, another American that attended the University. She had never even glanced sideways at Milo, and he had never expected her to. Why was she talking to him now?

"Um, yeah, I am, actually," Milo stammered. Obviously he had been wrong about the world forgetting his existence...

"Well, my name is Lisa," she said.

"I know that... I mean, um, hi," Milo stuttered. _How embarrassing. The first time a pretty girl talks to me and I'm blowing it!_

"Well, I've been noticing you for quite a while, Milo. You're the best French speaker in our class," she continued.

"Aww, shucks, er, I mean, _merci_!" Milo replied, blushing crimson red.

"So, I was wondering, would you find room in your heart to give me a little tutoring before the final exam?" Lisa finished.  
"Would I? Sure, no problem, it will be my pleasure. When do you want to start?" Milo grinned. He couldn't believe it! A girl wanted him to help her study French! And not just any girl, it was Lisa McGrath!

"How does Friday sound?" Lisa breathed. "We can meet in the library."

"That sounds great!" Milo exclaimed.

Lisa gave a cutesy little giggle and said, "See you then! Thankies!"

Milo felt like the luckiest man alive.

The feeling continued all the rest of the week, up until he arrived at the library, French notebook in hand. Suddenly, Milo was overcome with the most intense feeling of nervousness he had ever experienced. He anxiously adjusted his bow tie. "Hmm, I hope I didn't overdress," he said to himself. "Well, Milo, it's now or never." With that, he stepped through the doors and entered the library.

Lisa was sitting at a table near the entrance. She waved to Milo when he came in. Milo grinned and waved back. The warm feeling returned, tingling from his head to his toes. He strutted over to the table like a swaggering rooster. Lisa didn't try to stifle her giggle.

"Hee-hee-hee! Oh, Milo, you are just so cute! I could put you in my pocket and take you home with me!" she bubbled at him. Milo's stomach lurched. He couldn't believe his ears. Lisa McGrath was calling him cute? It was too good to be true!

"_Bon jour, Mademoiselle_," Milo said cooly. "So, where do you want to get started?"

"Well," Lisa breathed, "I'm having trouble mastering the concept of the present conditional. Do you think you can help me with that?"

"Oh, certainly!" Milo exclaimed. "The present conditional can be a rather hard thing to master. When I was first learning how to do it, I made myself this little chart. It really make the memorization of the verb endings much simpler."

Lisa's eyes widened and she took the chart from Milo's hand. "Oh, I see!" she proclaimed. "Yes, this makes things a lot easier to understand. Thank you ever so much, Milo!"

Milo blushed. "Aww, shucks, it was nothing," he said.

He continued with his lesson, but he couldn't help but notice that Lisa's attention seemed to be elsewhere. He frowned and continued talking, somewhat distracted himself now. _What is up with her, anyway?_ Milo thought. _She asks me to help her with her French and now she isn't listening to a word I'm saying! Honestly. Women. Go figure._  
"Milo," Lisa interrupted. "I have a confession to make."

"What is it?"

"Well, um, actually," she paused, then blurted out, "I never needed help with my French in the first place. I only asked you to tutor me because I wanted to spend time with you. I've, well, I've liked you for quite some time, actually. I just never had the courage to tell you before. I'm sorry."

Milo spluttered; Lisa giggled. "Why on earth are you apologizing?" Milo asked. "I mean, you know, you shouldn't ever be ashamed of your feelings." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "This is new to me myself. I've never... had a relationship before."

"You're kidding, right?" Lisa gasped, fluttering her eyelids. "An intelligent, handsome man like yourself has never had a girlfriend?" Milo shook his head. "I can't believe that," Lisa finished, shaking her own.

Milo cleared his throat again. "Well, um... seeing as you don't need help with your French... would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" We crossed his fingers and wished hard.

"Would I?" Lisa chattered. "Of course I would! That would be wonderful! I know this lovely little restaurant in town. It's got the best food on the entire island! Let's go there, huh?"

"Well, okay!" Milo exclaimed.

"Goodie! Let me just stop off at home real fast to get into something more suitable, and then we'll be off!"

Milo was walking on air.

Milo returned home that night in a daze. The evening he had just spent with Lisa had been the most wonderful in his whole life. They'd had dinner in the restaurant of Lisa's choice, then they went dancing and ended the evening with a romantic stroll through the park. Milo felt different than he ever had before. Life was perfect. Now he knew how Billy and Samantha felt. He was sure he was in love.

Over the next several weeks, Milo spent all his spare time with Lisa. He was captivated by her cute smile, her wide blue eyes; he could spend hours going over the perfection of her face, the soft, wispy curl of her long blonde locks. But as time went on, Milo realized that he would soon be leaving her for the summer to join his friends and family in America. What if they were to grow apart while Milo was away? Or what if Lisa were to find someone better once Milo was no longer around all the time. He simply could not bear that thought, nor the thought of being apart from her for such a prolonged time. He wanted her to meet Billy and Samantha. More importantly, he wanted Lisa to meet his grandfather. Thaddeus had been very excited when Milo wrote him to say that he had found a girlfriend.

A girlfriend... Milo sighed. That term just didn't seem to fit! When he was with Lisa, it was like perfection. Milo was positive that this was more than just a girlfriend, a simple short-lived romance. Lisa was more like a true love, a soul mate. Milo knew that he had found the one. He was ready. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman.

That was when Milo made his final decision. He had contemplated this for a while. On their next date, Milo was going to propose to Lisa.

"You're going to PROPOSE?" Billy shouted over the phone the following day. Milo winced with the intensity his friend was displaying.

"Um, yeah... is that a problem, do you think?" Milo asked insecurely.

"Well, no. I mean, I'm happy for you. I'm glad you found someone who you think is the ONE. But don't you think it's a little soon to say?" Billy reasoned gently.

"What are you talking about?" Milo demanded. "Lisa is a wonderful woman and I love her with all my heart."

"I'm not denying that Lisa's a great girl and all, but it's just that... well, Milo, this is your first relationship, and you've only known her for a few weeks. Think about how long I've been dating Samantha. It took me that long to be absolutely sure," Billy sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt. You've already been hurt enough. Milo, you're my best friend in the entire universe, and there's nothing I hate more than seeing you in pain."

"Billy, I can't believe this," Milo snapped. "You're my best friend. I was expecting you to be supportive of me. Besides, YOU'RE the one who told me to find a nice girl and settle down!"

"Yeah, but I didn't mean that fast," Billy said softly.

"Billy, my mind is made up. Nothing you can say will change that," Milo said stubbornly.

"All right then, Milo. I just hope you aren't making a mistake. I'll see you in three weeks. Goodbye." There was a click as Billy hung up the phone. Milo frowned, took a deep breath, and shook his head in frustration. Then he slammed down the receiver and headed out of the dorm. He was on his way to pick up Lisa for their big date.

They were back at Lisa's house, sitting on the porch swing in front of her country manor house. The stars were twinkling above and a warm summer breeze made their hair dance. "Oh, Milo," Lisa sighed. "These past few weeks have been the most wonderful of my entire life."  
"Yeah? Mine too," Milo dreamily said.

"I'm so happy I found you," Lisa said, leaning over and giving Milo a kiss. He savored the moment. "Milo-kins?" Lisa whispered, reclining in Milo's arms. He mumbled a dazed "hmmm?" and she continued, "Have you ever had a dream? I mean, a dream of the future."

"Of course!" Milo exclaimed. "I've had many. But the biggest dream, and the one I still hope to fulfill, is that I will one day find the legendary lost empire of Atlantis."

Lisa sat upright and arched her eyebrows. "Atlantis?"

"Yes," Milo replied.

"Isn't Atlantis a myth?" Lisa inquired, eyebrow still raised.

"Most people think so, but I don't, and neither does my grandfather. We're convinced that it's real." As he talked, Milo got more and more excited, and Lisa's brow rose higher and higher. "I plan to dedicate my entire life to locating the city. That's why I'm studying to become a linguist. I'm hoping to be able to use my knowledge of dead languages to find more promising evidence leading to its location."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I am! Legend tells of a book called the Shepherd's Journal, originally called the Scrolls of Aziz. Aziz was a shepherd who is rumored to have stumbled upon the empire and spent several years there with the Atlanteans. He recorded his findings, and his writings have traveled all over the globe over the centuries. The location of the Journal is currently unknown," Milo paused, beaming with pride, "But my grandfather and I are going to find it."

"But, how on earth do you intend to get this Journal? I mean, even if you do figure out its location, you're going to need money to unearth it! And then you'll need money to head an expedition to Atlantis. And how do you know that the Journal isn't a hoax anyway? Would a museum or something give you funding?" Lisa demanded.

"They would if we had enough strong evidence," Milo explained.

"Well how do you know you're going to get evidence strong enough?"

"Don't worry, Lisa. My grandfather is currently following a lead that could be the key to finding the lost continent of Atlantis!" Milo exclaimed.

"But, Milo, what if it's not? What if you spend your whole life searching for this fairytale kingdom and never do find it? You'll spend your whole life alone as a failure. Could you live with that?" Lisa snapped, raising her voice a notch.  
"Lisa... I won't be alone. At least I hope not. I was... hoping... to have a companion on my life's journey," Milo trailed off.

Lisa eyed him carefully. "What are you saying exactly?"

"Well, Lisa," Milo said, lowering his voice and taking her hand into his. "I love you. With all of my heart. And I wanted to know if you would spend the rest of your life with me... as my wife?"

Lisa stared at him in shock. "Milo," she gasped. "I respect the fact that you care about me, and I care about you as well. But you can't ask me to give up all my dreams to join you while you chase around the globe searching for a myth!"

"Your... dreams?" Milo asked gently.

"Yes! Money, power! That's what's important in this world! And you have the potential to obtain that! You could be the finest linguist, archaeologist, professor, museum curator, any of those things!" Lisa exclaimed, rising from the porch swing. "Atlantis is just a story, Milo! It doesn't really exist!"

Milo also stood, face red with fury. "What did you say?"

"Milo, you are living in a fairy tale world! Grow up and face reality! Don't throw away your whole life and career chasing fantasies!" Lisa shouted.

"Lisa... I can't believe that you could be asking me to do this," Milo sullenly said.

"Milo," Lisa warned. "Either forget about Atlantis- or forget about me."

Milo gazed at Lisa coldly. "Goodbye, Lisa." He then turned about and walked away from Lisa's house forever.

As he disappeared, Milo heard Lisa call, "Milo Thatch, you just made the biggest mistake of your life!"

Tears sprung to Milo's eyes as he began to wonder if Lisa was right. But he never turned back.

Before Milo extinguished the lamp that night, he looked hard at the worn sepia photograph that stood, framed, on his night table. It was himself and Billy at the old baseball field. "You were right, Billy," Milo whispered. "You were right." Then Milo cried himself to sleep.

_And had a dream that he hadn't had in years..._

He was standing in the middle of an ancient city. People were running and shouting. Standing a few feet away was a little girl and a man. "MAH-tihm!" the little girl cried. Milo recognized her to be speaking Atlantean. The word she was shouting meant, "mama." Suddenly, the ground started shaking, and a huge wall of water slammed into the city. But for some reason, not a drop of water touched the citizens. It was if they were encased in a mystic sphere of some sort.

Milo gazed around. Atlanteans were rising to their feet and gaining their bearings as well. Milo's eyes returned once more to the little girl. "MAH-tihm," she sobbed. Milo was curious. Where was the child's mother?

The man approached the little girl. She rose to her feet and hurried away from him. "KEE-duh!" the man called. This was a word Milo did not recognize. Perhaps it was a pet name. "Kwahm, TAHB-toap!" the girl replied over her shoulder as she ran from him. Now Milo was very curious. The girl had called out, "No, father!" So the man was her father. Then why was she fleeing from him?

Milo followed the child. She had run into a jungle of some kind. He pursued her. He could hear the footsteps getting heavier in font of him, but no slower; then they assumed the nimbleness of a warrior's sprint. What was happening to the girl? Milo wondered. He could hear her breathing deepening as if her voice were lowering its tone as well. Still, he could not see her.

Finally, the jungle opened up into a clearing, with waterfalls cascading into a pool. Scattered all around were ruined vehicles of some sort- were they the flying "venimas" that the Atlantean people were rumored to possess? Then out of the shadows came a beautiful woman. As she came closer, Milo recognized her to be the little girl, but now she was all grown up. She had thick. waist-length hair, white in color, and piercing blue eyes, even bluer than Lisa's. She reached her hand out to Milo.

"Kahg WEH-geh-nohs PREE-duss-ess EH-seh-nen," Milo said, which was Atlantean for, "I am a friendly traveler."

"Teeg," the woman said. "SOH-lesh MAH-toh-noat, MY-loh THATCH-toap. Kwahm TEH-red-seh-nen," the translation for which is, "Yes. All will be well, Milo Thatch. Be not afraid." Then the woman said in English, "Do not lose sight of your dream, Milo Thatch. Atlantis is real. We shall be together again soon." Then everything faded into a blue crystal light.

Milo sat upright in bed. The dream... what did it mean? Could it be that this was a sign? Or was it just another delusion?

"Never lose sight of your dream," the woman had said. Milo set his jaw. Fable or no, from that day forward, Milo Thatch was more determined than ever to follow his dream wherever it may lead him.

Then maybe he could find some peace.


	8. Darkness Emerging

**Chapter Seven~ Darkness Emerging   
614 B.C.**   
  
Princess Kidagakash hurled herself onto her bed and screamed into her pillow as loud as she possibly could. Breathing heavily, she tried to regain her composure. "You are a princess," she reminded herself. Then the conversation she had just had with her father replayed in her head, and she buried her face in her pillow and screamed again, this time more violently, and kicked her feet at the same time.   
  
Nakia, a palace servant and Kida's friend, stuck her head into Kida's room. "Princess, are you all right?" Nakia asked nervously.   
  
"Nakia!!!" Kida wailed. Nakia leapt nervously. Kida sucked in her breath and gestured for the girl to sit on the bed next to her. "Nakia, do you know of a painless way to assassinate my father?" Kida whispered coarsely.   
  
Nakia's eyebrows could not have risen higher unless they had flown of her forehead. "What are you talking about?" she gasped.   
  
"He's trying to marry me off!" Kida shrieked, burying her head in her pillow and screaming yet a third time.   
  
"Oh, is that all?" Nakia sighed. "You had me worried for a second."   
  
"You are no help at all!!!" Kida moaned.   
  
"Kida, you knew this day was going to come someday. You are 7200 years old. Just consider yourself lucky that you've managed to avoid it for so long," Nakia reasoned.   
  
"You don't know who he wants to marry me to!" Kida snapped. She shuddered, and began violently attacking her pillow.   
  
"Who?"   
  
Kida bit her lip so hard that it drew blood. "Throck," she muttered through clenched teeth.   
  
Nakia wasn't sure if she should shriek or laugh. "You are kidding me," she said.   
  
"Unfortunately, I am not," Kida groaned, hurling her pillow at the wall. "I nearly vomited when he said that Throck had requested to be my suitor."   
  
"Honestly! I mean no sacrilege, but what is your father thinking?" Nakia said, shaking her head. "Throck is the most annoying, belligerent, self absorbed, disgusting creature that has ever set foot upon the earth!" Now it was Nakia's turn to shriek into Kida's pillows.   
  
"You think I didn't try and tell my father that?" Kida wailed. "The very thought of that egotistical oaf standing within one wokano of me is enough to make me physically ill, and now TAHB-toap is trying to marry me off to him? ARGH!!!"   
  
"Oh, Kida. I am so sorry," Nakia said softly.   
  
"I've got to get out of this palace!" Kida shouted. "Come on, let's go to the marketplace or something. Just get me away from TAHB-toap and Throck!" She grabbed Nakia by the wrist and dragged her off her perch on Kida's bed out into the corridor.   


~*~

"Meera, what is your problem?" Lina demanded of her sister impatiently.   
  
"Problem? Lina, I don't know what you're talking about," Meera said innocently, fluffing her hair for about the twentieth time in the past half hour.   
  
"You are acting like a bird preening her feathers," Lina groaned. "Your hair looks fine! Now tell me why you dragged me to the marketplace out of the blue, and why you're acting like a lovesick shemubin!"   
  
"Oh, no reason, Lina," Meera stammered. "I, um, just wanted to see somebody, that's all."   
  
"Well, why did you need to drag me along?" Lina grumbled.   
  
"For moral support," Meera snapped, dragging her sister through a crowd of people into the next block of stalls.   
  
"Moral support? What are you talking about?"   
  
"Never you mind. We're going to the fish market," Meera instructed.   
  
"The fish market???" Lina squealed. "You got all dressed up and dragged me out of the house to go to the FISH MARKET?!"   
  
"Shush!" Meera ordered as they rounded the corner and headed past the docks to where the market was located. "We're going to see someone who's working AT the fish market," she explained.   
  
"Oh, brother. Meeranakash, what is going on here?" Lina demanded.   
  
"Shh!" Meera snapped as an Atlantean youth came out of the market, carrying an empty barrel. Meera quickly ran her fingers through her hair and piped up. "SOO-puhk, Orion!" she called.   
  
The youth dropped the barrel and nervously turned. He saw Meera, who cheerily waved at him. The boy's eyes widened and he turned red, muttering something and rushing back into the store.   
  
Lina eyed her sister, who was now a pleasant shade of strawberry and was smiling starrily. Lina cynically nodded. It all made sense now. "You like Orion, don't you?" she accused.   
  
Meera looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about," she timidly said.   
  
"Oh, come off it, Meera. That's why you came all the way down here. You knew that Orion was working at the fish market, and you wanted to come down and see him."   
  
"Please don't tell anybody, Lina!" Meera pleaded.   
  
"Oh, honestly, Meera," Lina sighed. "I'm your sister. If you want to have a crush on dorky old Orion, I won't go blabbing it around."   
  
"Orion is not a dork!" Meera protested. "But thanks, anyway."   
  
"Meera!" a voice called. Meera turned and saw Kida and Nakia rushing towards her.   
  
"Am I off the hook now?" Lina asked. "I have a date with Oton tonight."   
  
"Sure. Have fun. Just don't breathe a word!" Meera said.   
  
"Whatever," Lina sighed, heading off.   
  
"What's going on?" Meera asked as her friend reached her.   
  
"My life is a miserable experience, and I have a desire to jump off the top of a Stone Giant," Kida grumbled.   
  
"She's just kidding," Nakia said to a worried Meera.   
  
"No I'm not!" Kida exclaimed.   
  
"What is going on?" Meera repeated.   
  
"My evil TAHB-toap is trying to marry me to a shemubin," Kida muttered.   
  
"Which shemubin is this?" Meera asked.   
  
"Throck," Nakia explained.   
  
"Throck?" Meera gasped. "EEEEEEWWW!!!"   
  
"My sentiments exactly," Kida drily said.   
  
"We've got to find a way to get her out of this!" Meera said. She didn't have time to elaborate further, for out of the shadows slunk the snake himself.   
  
"Kida, darling," Throck purred, wrapping his arms around a very disgusted Kidagakash. "Have you heard the news? I have asked your father for your suit and he agreed to it! Isn't that marvelous?"   
  
"Oh, yes. I'm simply ecstatic," Kida said through gritted teeth, trying to escape his slimy grasp.   
  
"I am so excited about this," Throck said, his voice oozing with false charm. "I mean, what with my sculpted body and your shapely figure, we would be the most attractive royal couple Atlantis has ever known. And think about the magnificent genes our children shall be inheriting, what with two mighty warriors as parents!"   
  
"And after all, that's so important," Nakia muttered.   
  
"The prospect is simply mind boggling, Throck," Kida said, still trying to evade his grasp.   
  
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I have arranged for us to have dinner together tomorrow evening. We're going to know each other very well," Throck grinned, and finally released Kida from his grasp and slunk away.   
  
"Ugh, I feel icky, slimy, all over me! I want to go home and take a bath!" Kida cried.   
  
"What a sleaze-ball," Nakia said.   
  
"That man has only two things in mind, Kida," Meera warned. "Your body and your power."   
  
"We've got to find a way to keep you away from him," Nakia said.   
  
"The sooner the better," Kida agreed.   


~*~

The next evening, Kida sank into bed in tears. Nakia stuck her head into the princess' bedchambers. "Kida, can I come in?" she said softly.   
  
"Sure," Kida said.   
  
"Are you okay?" Nakia asked gently.   
  
"No," Kida sobbed. "I hate him, I hate him! He's so brash and egotistical. He's worse now than he ever was. If I hear one more word about his rippling pectorals, I will rip his spinal cord out!"   
  
Nakia chuckled. "Oh, Kida. You should tell your father how you feel."   
  
"He won't listen. He never listens. When he gets an idea in his head, he sticks with it no matter what. Why does she have to be so stubborn?" Kida cried.   
  
"Well, just get some sleep. Maybe something will come to you in your dreams," Nakia advised. Kida nodded as her friend disappeared out the door. Then the princess sighed and sleep overtook her.   


~*~

_Voices called out through the mist, thousands of them. Then Kida heard one she recognized. "Kida, my darling..."   
  
"MAH-tihm!" Kida cried. Suddenly, the mist cleared, and a figure stepped out of it. It was a man, but not one that Kida recognized. The man was followed by giant shapes, machines, the likes of which Kida had never before seen. Kida sensed goodness radiating from the man, but all else was shrouded in mystery.   
  
Then, suddenly, a dark presence invaded everything. A terrible something was chasing after Kida. She screamed and began running as fast as she could, but the evil force was much faster, and easily caught up with her. It had almost descended upon her, when the good man returned. He extended his hand, and the evil presence dispersed.   
  
Then Kida felt warm arms around her, and she glanced up into the face of the man, but his eyes were hidden behind shields of some form. Kida felt love, and she felt loved, in a way that she had never felt before. "Kida," the man whispered. Kida closed her eyes and she felt warm lips kissing her own. Then the man faded away in the misty blue light, and it was then that Kida realized that she had not learned his name.   
  
"SOH-lesh MAH-toh-noat, kwahm TEH-red-seh-nen (All will be well, be not afraid)," Queen Maralana's voice said. "Talk to your TAHB-toap tomorrow," the Queen instructed.   
  
"MAH-tihm..." Kida called into the void._   
  
And then she woke up.   


~*~

"But TAHB-toap," Kida pleaded. " I do not love Throck! In fact, I can barely stomach him!"   
  
"Kida, the time has come! You must choose a husband. What would you do if something were to happen to me?" King Kashekim said.   
  
"Why is it a rule that I be married to rule, anyway?" Kida countered. "If I do not marry for love, then I will be worse off than if I were to rule alone!"   
  
"Kida, do you realize how hard it is to be alone?" Kashekim snapped. "I have not been the same since your mother was taken. I do not want you to experience the same loneliness."   
  
"But, TAHB-toap, you loved MAH-tihm! Would you have wanted to marry any other woman but her? Could you imagine having lived with any other woman but her?" Kida retaliated.   
  
Kashekim glanced down. "Maralana," he whispered. _"Kashekim, don't be a fool,"_ he heard his wife's voice say. _"You know that Throck is not right for her. Do not let your pride destroy our daughter's happiness."_ Kashekim bit his lip. "Very well," the King said to his daughter. "You do not have to see Throck any longer."   
  
Kida's eyes grew huge. "Oh, TAHB-toap! Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaimed, kissing her father on his cheek.   
  
"Kida," Kashekim said softly. "It's hard to say, but sometimes the king can be wrong. I hope that someday you will understand, and you will learn from my mistakes."   
  
Kida looked at him inquisitively, but didn't say anything. She had a sudden feeling that someday soon everything would fall into place. She also had a strange feeling that her dream was a prediction. If she just waited, all her questions would be answered. Then, she could at last find peace.   


~*~


End file.
